Big Ten Network : Wisconsin Top Stories

No. 24 Wisconsin holds off late Indiana rally

Sat, 7 Nov 2009 09:06:00 +0000

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Wisconsin followed the same old script to grind down Indiana. John Clay ran for 134 yards and a touchdown, Montee Ball scored two TDs and the Badgers held off the Hoosiers' fourth-quarter rally for a 31-28 victory Saturday. The Badgers (7-2, 4-2 Big Ten) have now won two straight and still have not lost to an unranked team this season. Indiana's fading bowl hopes took another hit. The Hoosiers (4-6, 1-5) must now win their final two games -- at No. 11 Penn State and home against rival Purdue -- to become eligible. They have lost three straight and six of seven. A year after having three 100-yard runners and 441 yards on the ground in Bloomington, Wisconsin went right back to work. Clay produced all of his numbers in the first half, when the Badgers ran for 196 yards. Clay didn't touch the ball in the second half, working out on a bike on the sideline, despite needing 27 yards to become the Big Ten's first 1,000-yard runner this season. Instead, Ball took over the workload. He finished with 27 carries for 115 yards and his 3-yard TD run with 8:18 to go was the decisive score. Wisconsin finished with 294 yards on the ground -- giving them 735 yards rushing in the last two games against Indiana. Quarterback Scott Tolzien was 11 of 20 for 194 yards with one TD, and Nick Toon caught five passes for 123 yards. But somehow Indiana continued to hang around. After trailing 24-14 at halftime, Terrance Turner caught a 6-yard TD pass to make it 24-21 early in the fourth quarter. It became the first official touchdown of Turner's career after he had one taken away by replay last week at Iowa. Bell answered with his second scoring run Saturday to make it 31-21, and then Indiana closed to 31-28 when Trea Burgess scored on a 2-yard TD run with 4:02 to go. But Indiana kicked deep and never got the ball back. Ben Chappell was 25 of 35 for 323 yards with three TDs and one interception for Indiana. Tandon Doss caught six passes for 92 yards and two TDs, and the Hoosiers lost top running back Darius Willis with what appeared to be a right leg injury early in the second half. Wisconsin played most of the game without starting right tackle John Oglesby after he appeared to hurt his left leg.

Minnesota avoids sweep, beats Wisconsin

Sat, 7 Nov 2009 22:34:00 +0000

MADISON, Wis. - Wisconsin men's hockey (4-3-1, 2-3-1 WCHA) fell 5-2 to Minnesota (3-4-1, 3-4-1 WCHA) in its bid for a sweep on Saturday night in the Kohl Center. Though they outshot the Gophers 47-28, the Badgers just could not seem to find the net. The Gophers returned the favor from last night's game by scoring in the wee-minutes of the game. Minnesota jumped out to a 1-0 advantage after a goal by senior Tony Lucia just 1:13 into the first period. The Gophers scored again, this time by freshman Zach Budish. The goal came at the 13:07 mark of the first and put Minnesota up 2-0 early in the game. Though UW outshot the Gophers 17-6, the Badgers were not able to find the net in the first. Heading into the second period, the Badgers trailed the Gophers, 0-2. After a scoreless first 15 minutes of the second period, the Gophers added another goal when junior Patrick White found the net for the Gophers. The goal came at the 15:38 mark of the second, and put Minnesota up 3-0. Having outshot Minnesota 32-16 through two periods, the Badgers couldn't seem to find the net, though their opportunities were there. It only took the Badgers 28 seconds of the third period to register their first goal of the contest. The goal came on a wrist shot by sophomore defenseman Jake Gardiner (Minnetonka, Minn.) past a screen set by senior tri-captain Blake Geoffrion (Brentwood, Tenn.). The primary assist went to freshman forward Craig Smith, his third of the series. The secondary assist was credited to Geoffrion, who won the faceoff prior to the goal. This was Gardiner's first goal of the season. The Gophers added to their lead right around the halfway point of the final period. The goal was scored on a wrist shot by senior Brian Schack through a screen at the 11:29 mark. This put Minnesota at a 4-1 advantage. The Badgers inched their way closer after a crazy goal by junior tri-captain Ryan McDonagh (Arden Hills, Minn.). After a shot by senior forward Andy Bohmbach (Hudson, Wis.) ricocheted off Minnesota goaltender Alex Kangas, former Minnesota state high school baseball champion McDonagh was there to bat the puck out of the air and into the net for his first goal of the season. The play was under review to check for high-sticking, but the goal was upheld. Bohmbach and Craig Smith were credited with the two assists. The score was now 4-2 in favor of the maroon and gold. The Gophers scored once more on an empty net goal by Zach Budish, his second of the game. The goal came at the 1:01 mark of the third period. This solidified Minnesota's win, 5-2. It just seemed to be one of those nights that nothing the Badgers shot would go in. With the Badgers pushing to close the gap with the score still at 4-2, senior forward Ben Grotting (Birmingham, Ala.) saw his shot ping off the post to exemplify the night for Wisconsin. Junior goaltender Brett Bennett (Williamsville, N.Y.) notched 23 saves in the contest, but saw his record fall to 3-2-0 on the season. Gopher goaltender Alex Kangas' record climbed to 3-3-0 on the year with 45 saves. The Badgers get right back into action next weekend, as they play a two-game home series against the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves. The Friday-Saturday series at the Kohl Center is scheduled for 7 p.m. both nights.

Ohio State sends Wisconsin to third straight loss

Sat, 7 Nov 2009 22:26:00 +0000

MADISON, Wis. - The Wisconsin volleyball team (11-12, 6-8) dropped its third consecutive match on Saturday, losing to Ohio State 25-21, 25-21, 25-19 in the UW Field House. The loss marks Wisconsin's longest losing streak of the season in both matches (three) and sets (nine). "I'm disappointed in the way we performed tonight," said head coach Pete Waite. "That was a team we knew had a hot streak coming in and we had to battle them with everything we had. Our passing wasn't up to par so our offense wasn't able to run quite as well. I thought Ohio State blocked very well. There were just too many errors on our part. It was too much to give a good team like them." A lack of consistent hitting limited the Badgers as they posted a .123 hitting percentage, while Ohio State connected on .347 percent of its shots. Wisconsin's offense also could not overcome the Buckeyes' 16 team blocks. The Badgers, in comparison, only totaled four team blocks. Wisconsin did surpass Ohio State in several statistical categories. The Badgers out-performed the Buckeyes in kills (41-39), assists (41-35) and digs (46-41). Allison Wack and Brittney Dolgner headlined the UW offense with 14 and 11 kills, respectively. Wack also maintained a solid .273 hitting percentage. Janelle Gabrielsen directed Wisconsin's offense, putting up 29 assists. Two Badgers had double-digit digs as Kim Kuzma saved 14 shots, while Gabrielsen added 10 digs. Ohio State was led by Katie Dull, who put down 11 kills while hitting a .320 percentage. Kelli Barhost followed with nine kills and a match-high .471 hitting percentage. Ashley Hughes dished out a match-high 33 assists. Kristen Dozier highlighted the Ohio State defense with 11 total blocks, while Chelsea Noble led the Buckeyes with 17 digs. Waite said that Ohio State has improved a lot since losing to Wisconsin on Oct. 2 in Columbus, Ohio. "They've really evolved as a team and we've seen that coming," Waite said. "We've seen them beat some really good teams along the way since we beat them. That happens sometimes—you beat someone and they change things." Both teams continuously exchanged points in the first set where there were 10 ties. With the score knotted up at 15, Ohio State put down two straight kills to take a 17-15 advantage. Poor hitting prevented the Badgers from retrieving the deficit as the Buckeyes took the set 25-21. UW hit just .053 percent for the set. After nine ties, the Buckeyes grabbed a 16-13 lead in the second set. The UW responded by scoring three consecutive points to equal the score at 16 apiece. Ohio State would then regroup following a timeout to take a 19-16 lead, which it would not lose en route to a 25-21 set victory. Wisconsin bettered its hitting with a .265 percentage, but was overshadowed by Ohio State 's impressive hitting percentage of .452. Wisconsin came out strong in the third set and seized an early 6-4 lead over Ohio State. A kill from Caity DuPont evened the set at 11, but the Badgers then lost control of the set as the Buckeyes scored three straight points to take a 14-11 lead. Although the Badgers narrowed the margin to one at 18-17, Ohio State's .414 hitting percentage helped them earn a 25-19 match victory. "We come out next week and we've got another opportunity on Monday to train and watch tape and get better," Waite said. "That's been our goal and we've hit a plateau as far as the energy level on the court. Last week at Michigan we did really well and our energy level was great, then a little notch down against Michigan State. In the Big Ten, if you have any sort of a flat day, you're going to pay for it." Wisconsin has a tough week ahead as it travels to Iowa City on Wednesday to take on Iowa before it returns home to face Minnesota on Nov. 15. The Badgers look to split the season series after losing to Iowa, 3-1, in its Big Ten opener on Sept. 23. UW also lost at Minnesota, 3-0, on Sept. 25.

Wisconsin uses up-tempo play to drill Bemidji State

Sat, 7 Nov 2009 14:18:00 +0000

MADISON, Wis. -- Using an up-tempo attack and hot shooting, the Badgers ran away with an easy, 90-54 win over Div. II Bemidji State in an exhibition opener Wednesday night at the Kohl Center. The game won't count in the season stats, but there was a lot to like from Wednesday night. For starters, Wisconsin shot .524 from the field and had four players score in double-figures. Jon Leuer led the way for the Badgers scoring with 15 points, while Jason Bohannon followed closely with 14 and Rob Wilson and Ryan Evans chipped in 12 points each. UW had 13 players score in all, including redshirt freshman Jared Berggren who had a workman-like seven points and seven boards. The senior guard duo of Trevon Hughes and Bohannon served as distributors Wednesday with Hughes finishing with seven assists and Bohannon dishing out six. A hot-shooting first half helped the Badgers out to a 46-22 advantage at the break. Wisconsin shot .531 from the field in the first 20 minutes, fueled by 4-of-4 shooting from Leuer and 4-of-5 from sophomore Rob Wilson. Wisconsin's up-tempo attack was visible early versus the Beavers, as guards Bohannon and Hughes pushed the ball up court whenever possible. That strategy resulted in a 10-0 advantage on fast-break points before intermission. Four dunks also highlighted the Badgers' first half including a breakaway dunk by Evans. The other area UW dominated in the first frame was points in the paint, sporting a 26-8 margin in the first half. The second half started just as fast for Wisconsin as the Badgers scored 16 points in the opening 4:30. A couple 3-pointers from Bohannon and Leuer helped the Badgers to a 22-7 run. The Badgers would stretch their lead on the Beavers, gaining a 39-point advantage on their opponent six minutes into the second half. UW head coach Bo Ryan went with an experienced starting lineup in the season's first contest, using senior guards Bohannon and Hughes along-side a junior frontcourt made up of Tim Jarmusz, Leuer and Keaton Nankivil. However, the entire team gained valuable experience in the first contest, with all 15 players seeing the court and 10 notching double-digit playing time.

Geoffrion leads Badgers past Gophers, 4-2

Sat, 7 Nov 2009 11:41:00 +0000

MADISON, Wis. -- Senior tri-captain Blake Geoffrion (Brentwood, Tenn.) scored twice, including a goal 24 seconds into the contest, as the Wisconsin men's hockey (4-2-1, 2-2-1 WCHA) skated to a 4-2 victory over border-rival Minnesota (2-4-1, 2-4-1 WCHA) Friday night at the Kohl Center. UW scored once in the first, twice in the second, and once again in the third to skate to the team's fourth victory of the season. Wisconsin did not take long to strike first, 24 seconds, to be exact. Geoffrion deflected a slap shot of fellow tri-captain Ryan McDonagh (Arden Hills, Minn.) past the Minnesota goaltender Alex Kangas to give Wisconsin the first goal in a game for the sixth time in seven games this season. McDonagh's shot, from just inside the blue line, soared towards the goal waist-high, and Geoffrion managed to send it off track just enough to put the Badgers up 1-0. Freshman forward Craig Smith (Madison, Wis.) was credited the secondary assist. This concluded the scoring for the first period, with the Badgers on top by one. The Badgers were also outshooting the Gophers 12-6, heading into the second. The Gophers evened the game quickly in the second, only 1:31 into the period, on a back-hand goal by senior forward Mike Hoeffel. UW didn't let the game stay tied for long, as junior defenseman Cody Goloubef (Oakville, Ontario) regained the lead for the Badgers just 42 seconds later on a back-hand goal from straight on. Goloubef gained control of a loose puck just inside the Minnesota blue line, charged at the Minnesota goaltender and flicked the puck to the back of the net. Freshman forward Derek Lee (North Vancouver, B.C.) and senior forward John Mitchell (Neenah, Wis.) were credited with assists on the play. With 9:44 remaining in the period, Geoffrion added his second goal of the game, giving the Badgers a 3-1 advantage. His slap shot, from inside the blue line, sped past Kangas for Geoffrion's fifth goal of the season. Craig Smith was credited with the assist, also his second of the game. Heading into the third, the score was in favor of the Badgers, 3-1. About halfway through the final period, Minnesota inched a little closer, after senior forward Patrick White scored for the Gophers with 11:13 remaining. This brought the score to a 3-2 UW advantage. With 1:51 remaining in the third period, senior tri-captain forward Ben Street (Coquitlam, B.C.) cemented the Badgers' victory, as he took a pass from fellow senior forward Michael Davies (St. Louis) to put the Badgers up 4-2. On a three-on-two break, sophomore forward Jordy Murray (Fairbault, Minn.) advanced the puck to Davies, who then found an open Street behind the Gophers' defense. Street flicked in a top-shelf shot and solidified the victory. Badger goalie Brett Bennett notched 16 saves, and raised his season record to 3-1-0. Gopher goaltender Alex Kangas fell to 2-3-0 on the year after stopping 28 Badger shots. The Badgers are now 4-2-1 overall, with a 2-2-1 WCHA record. The Gophers fell to 2-4-1 overall and in conference. The puck drops tomorrow, November 7, at 7 p.m. The Badgers look to sweep Minnesota and extend their modest winning streak over the Gophers to four games. The game can be viewed live on WISC-TV in the Madison area, as well as Charter Extra 87 and Time Warner Cable. A live broadcast can also be seen on FSN Minnesota and Fox College Sports. The game will air tape-delayed on Wisconsin Public Television at 11 p.m., and again on Sunday at 6 p.m. on The Wisconsin Channel.

Badgers fall 3-1 to Robert Morris

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 21:35:00 +0000

MADISON, Wis - In the first of a two-game series, the sixth-ranked Badgers fell 3-1 to Robert Morris Friday afternoon at the Kohl Center. Wisconsin fell to 5-4-0 overall this season, dropping its first non-conference contest since falling 2-1 to New Hampshire on Nov. 18, 2007. The Colonials improved to 4-5-0 on the season. The Badgers came out strong outshooting the Colonials 12-7 in the first frame, however, neither team was able to get on the board. The second period saw more action as Robert Morris took the lead. At the 10:20 mark in the second frame, from behind the goal line, Brianna Delaney sent the puck to Cobina Delaney in the right circle. Cobina passed the puck to the slot where Jennifer Kindret went five-hole to make the score 1-0. Exactly seven minutes later, at the 17:20 mark, Mallory Giambra sent the puck behind the goal line to Brianna Delaney. Delaney passed the puck to the crease where Kindret tallied her second goal of the game to give the Colonials the 2-0 lead going into the third frame. The Badgers made their lone appearance on the scoreboard with 12:32 left in the third period. Wisconsin junior Mallory Deluce (London, Onatrio) found sophomore Brooke Ammerman (River Vale, N.J.) behind the goal line. Ammerman passed the puck in the slot to find freshman Saige Pacholok who found the back of the net to record her second goal of the season and make the score 2-1. Freshman Becca Ruegsegger made 10 saves in the third period to keep the game within reach. During a Wisconsin power play, the Badgers pulled Ruegsegger with 1:15 left in regulation to try to knot the score at two. However, Robert Morris's Sara O'Malley sent the puck into an empty net to seal the 3-1 victory with 48 seconds left in the contest. The win marks RMU's second win of the season over a ranked opponent on the road. Their first win was on Oct. 3 when they secured a 4-1 victory over Minnesota Duluth, who was ranked No. 4 at the time. "We talked about it [the win over Minnesota Duluth] between periods and referenced it," Interim head coach Tracey DeKeyser said. "We talked about how we needed to add pace to the game, great puck movements and just be persistent because we expected a fight, and that's what we got." Despite the loss, Wisconsin outshot RMU 29-20. The game saw few penalties with RMU going 0-for-1 on the power play and Wisconsin finishing 0-for-3 on the man advantage. Ruegsegger finished with 17 saves for the Badgers and Daneca Butterfield finished with 28 saves in net for the Colonials. Wisconsin faces Robert Morris in game two of the series on Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Kohl Center.

Nittany Lions sweep the Badgers, 3-0

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 21:17:00 +0000

MADISON, Wis. - The No. 1 Penn State women's volleyball team (25-0, 13-0) swept Wisconsin 3-0 (25-15, 25-13, 25-21) Friday night to extend its winning streak to 89 straight matches. The Nittany Lions are now tied with the Stanford women's tennis team for third place on the NCAA's Division consecutive wins list. Senior Megan Hodge (Durham, N.C.) led Penn State with 13 kills, while freshman Darcy Dorton (Muncie, Ind.) and junior Blair Brown (Purcellville, Va.) tallied eight kills apiece. Junior Alyssa D'Errico (Byron, N.Y.) registered a match-high 12 digs and senior setter Alisha Glass (Leland, Mich.) dished out 31 assists. Junior Arielle Wilson (Broadview, Ill.) had a team-high eight blocks and recorded both of Penn State's aces. Penn State attacked at a .287 attack percentage and held the Badgers (11-11, 6-7) to .000. The Nittany Lions finished the night with 40 kills, 39 assists, two aces, 41 digs and 12.0 total team blocks. Wisconsin posted just 28 kills, 26 assists, 25 digs and 6.0 team blocks. Penn State wasted no time in the first set taking a 5-0 lead. The Nittany Lions were a wall at the net with Wilson teaming up with first Dorton and then Glass to put PSU up 2-0. Kills from Wilson and Dorton and an attack error by Wisconsin brought the score to 5-0 and Wisconsin called a timeout. Brittney Dolgner finally put the Badgers on the board with a kill, but the Nittany Lions maintained a strong lead, 8-3, thanks to a Wisconsin error and another Wilson kill. Wisconsin worked to within four on two occasions, but a Dorton kill and a Wilson/Glass block had Penn State leading by six, 13-7. By midpoint of the frame, Penn State had a seven-point advantage, 16-9. Two straight kills by Hodge increased Penn State's lead to 18-10. The Nittany Lions led 20-13 when Wisconsin took a second timeout. Wisconsin would manage only two more points before PSU closed out the set, 25-15. The Nittany Lions took a 3-1 lead in the first set, but a kill from Elle Ohlander and a Wisconsin ace had the score tied, 3-3. Hodge gave Penn State the lead, 4-3, and Wisconsin would only manage one more point while the Nittany Lions surged ahead to an 11-4 lead. Dolgner finally scored a point for the Badgers, but errors began to plague Wisconsin and Penn State found itself leading 16-7. After a Wisconsin timeout, the Badgers recorded two straight points. However, a Wilson kill, a Wisconsin error and PSU block put the Nittany Lions ahead by double-digits, 19-9. Wisconsin's Caity DuPont cut off the Penn State run with a kill, but Hodge fired back to keep Penn State ahead by 10, 20-10. Two Wisconsin errors and a Brown kill had the Nittany Lions within two points of taking set two, 23-11. A Penn State error gave Wisconsin its final point of the second set. A Hodge kill and another Badger error secured the second set for PSU, 25-13. Penn State led 4-0 early in the third set, but kills by Janelle Gabrielsen and Alexis Mitchell, a PSU error and a Wisconsin ace had the score tied, 4-4. Junior Fatima Balza (Merida, Venezuela) put Penn State back in the lead, but Wisconsin did not let up and had tied the Nittany Lions again at 7-7. Dorton notched a kill for an 8-7 lead, but Mitchell and Allison Wack blocked a Wilson attack to make it 8-8. The score tied twice more before a Badger error gave Penn State the lead for good. Kills from Brown and Hodge and a Wilson ace gave Penn State some much-needed breathing room, 15-11, and Wisconsin took a timeout. After the break, Wisconsin came within two, 16-14, after a PSU error and a Mitchell kill, but Penn State was back ahead by four, 19-15 thanks to kills by Hodge and Brown and Balza block. Two Wisconsin errors, kills form Dorton and Hodge and Penn State block gave Penn State a 25-21 third set win. The Nittany Lions are back in action Saturday at Iowa. The Nittany Lions meet the Hawkeyes at 7 p.m. Live stats will be available via a link at GoPSUsports.com. For more information on the Penn State women's volleyball team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com. The Penn State women's volleyball 2009 season is presented by Rockvale Outlets and The Outlets At Hershey.

Hoosiers hope Wisconsin game spurs bowl push

MICHAEL MAROT — Fri, 6 Nov 2009 02:01:00 +0000

BLOOMINGTON, Ind.(AP) At Indiana, it comes down to this. Forget the blown leads, the narrow loss at Michigan, even the questionable calls. The Hoosiers can still become bowl-eligible with two wins in their last three games, starting Saturday with No. 24 Wisconsin. "We do realize it's still there, we still have an opportunity,'' defensive end Jammie Kirlew said. "As a senior, we feel we've put this team in the right direction, but going to a bowl game would be the icing.'' The Hoosiers (4-5, 1-4 Big Ten) are running out of chances. Two weeks ago, Indiana turned a 25-point first-half lead at Northwestern into a 29-28 loss. Last week at No. 7 Iowa, the Hoosiers again had a double-digit lead in the first half and again after three quarters but gave up four fourth-quarter touchdowns and went home with a 42-24 loss. Winning either would have been a boon to Indiana's bowl hopes. Instead, the Hoosiers face a daunting three-game stretch. First up, the newly ranked Badgers (6-2, 3-2) who haven't lost to an unranked foe all season. Then Indiana heads to No. 11 Penn State, a team it is 0-12 against all-time. On Nov. 21, they're back home against rival Purdue, which has won 10 of the last 12 games in the series including last year's 52-point sendoff for Purdue coach Joe Tiller. That leaves Indiana with no margin for error. "I don't feel any pressure because we'll be the underdog like we are every game,'' receiver Mitchell Evans said. "I think the pressure is on them.'' The reality is that Wisconsin is already bowl-eligible and after snapping a two-game losing streak with a shutout of Purdue last week, the Badgers can focus on improving their postseason resume by adding to the lopsidedness of this series. Wisconsin has won four straight over Indiana, including an embarrassing 55-20 blowout in Bloomington last year. The Badgers ran for 441 yards and had three 100-yard runners that day, the third straight game in this series Wisconsin won 30 points or more. Badgers coach Bret Bielema thinks those results will provide even more motivation for the Hoosiers this week. "I know what we're going to see on Saturday because we've had a little bit of success on them the last couple years,'' Bielema said. "I know they're going to come in, or when we go over there, they're going to be very hungry to play us.'' The Hoosiers have a pretty good idea what they'll get from Wisconsin, too - a hefty dose of power football. A year ago, 248-pound running back John Clay burned the Hoosiers for 112 yards and one touchdown. This year, Clay leads the Big Ten with 104.9 yards rushing per game and ranks among the national leaders with 10 TDs rushing. With Indiana allowing more than 145 yards per game and 15 touchdowns on the ground, there's little reason for the Badgers to change plans. Yet if Indiana overcompensates against the run, the Badgers may take advantage of the Hoosiers' banged-up secondary. Adrian Burks will replace Indiana's top cornerback, Ray Fisher, in the starting lineup after Fisher had knee surgery this week. The other cornerback, Donnell Jones, is expected to play with a brace on his injured elbow for the second straight week, and safety Nick Polk, who missed last week's game with an ankle injury, is listed as questionable. It wouldn't surprise Lynch, who this week reflected on how the Badgers beat them through the air in 2006. "They can get you in a lot of different ways,'' Lynch said. "The first thing you think about is their power running game. This is the one (team) that really lines up and runs power football. They've always had big backs, but they can really get you with the pass, too.'' Or in the second half. Indiana's late struggles have again resurfaced. Northwestern and Iowa outscored Indiana 47-3 in the second half the past two weeks, and now the Hoosiers get a Wisconsin team that outscored them 31-0 in the final two quarters last year. None of that is a good omen for the Hoosiers. Then again, only one thing matters in Bloomington. "There's pressure every game but we really feel it as a senior class because we want this (a bowl bid),'' Kirlew said. "We want it to happen so much. If we bring that intensity for four quarters, I think we'll be more than ready.''

Delgado lifts Badgers to 1-0 win

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 23:04:00 +0000

MILWAUKEE, Wis. -- For Pablo Delgado and the Wisconsin men's soccer team, it wasn't a matter of if, but when. The Badgers managed 13 shots in the second half of their in-state rivalry battle with Milwaukee, but it took all 13 of those chances for UW to secure a 1-0 win over the Panthers in their regular-season finale at Engelmann Field. Wisconsin dominated the run of play over the match's final 25 minutes, but it wasn't until the 89th minute and a score by senior Pablo Delgado that the Badgers secured the victory. Delgado took a ball from Bryan Gerster at the near post and slotted a shot home to the far post from 12 yards out for the game-winner. ""We wanted to get it done,"" said Delgado, who scored his first goal of the season. ""We were creating chances and had to keep pushing, because we knew it would come sooner or later and we were confident. ""It worked out pretty well."" After a rather sluggish first half on the offensive end, the Badgers (7-8-2 overall) came out of intermission with a more organized and consistent attack. Wisconsin put five shots on goal in the second half, including two great looks by Gerster in the minutes leading up to his assist on Delgado's score. In rapid succession, he launched in a shot that UWM keeper John Shakon hauled in at the far post and then laid a low ball into the near post on which Shakon made an outstanding diving save. ""We were starting to build up finally and I just kept playing and things started going my way,"" Gerster said. ""Everything felt like it was on frame for me, and Pablo finally finished it off when I didn't."" The Badgers out-shot Milwaukee by a 13-3 margin in the second half, with the Panthers not recording their first – and only – shot-on-goal of the match until the 79th minute. ""It was an exciting game that had some flows both ways, but I felt overall that our team defense was really solid,"" UW head coach Todd Yeagley said. ""Milwaukee has some dangerous players and it showed tonight, but I liked the way we played in the second half and especially the last 25 minutes."" Gerster and Delgado proved to be the game-changers for the Badgers, and both came off the bench to make their contributions. Together, they combined for eight shots – including three on frame – while playing a combined 75 minutes. ""It's been a long year for me with injuries and everything, so it feels good to be back and help the team win,"" said Delgado, who has missed five games due to injury. ""I was very happy for Pablo, who hasn't played as much this year as he'd like,"" Yeagley said. ""He gave us a lot. We said before the game that everyone needed to be ready, and Pablo really stepped up to fill the role we asked him to fill."" Yeagley used only three reserves, with freshman Ata Ozbay also seeing time, but those that came off the bench provided more than just minutes in relief. ""The timing was good,"" Yeagley said. ""That combo of Bryan and Pablo really gave us the ability to get Scott (Lorenz) and Brandon (Miller) more involved up front in the second half. ""It was great for both of them to contribute in such a big way. Bryan and Pablo really were the difference for us tonight."" Miller and Lorenz tallied four shots apiece, including a pair of good looks Miller converted into shots-on-goal. Lorenz also had a shot on frame in the first half, one of just two the Badgers put on goal in the opening period. Both teams managed five shots in the first half, but neither had any quality chances until the second half, when the Badgers turned up the intensity. ""We were more relaxed out there in the second half, and there was better communication,"" Gerster said. ""It's big finishing the regular season on a win to get some momentum going like we had in the middle of the year."" The Badgers will look to ride that momentum into next week's Big Ten tournament, which is set for Nov. 12-15 at Armstrong Stadium in Bloomington, Ind. Wisconsin is likely to be seeded third, fourth or fifth for the tournament, with the result of this weekend's final regular-season conference matchups determining the final seeding. ""Now we know what we have to do in the tournament,"" Gerster said. ""With everyone contributing like we did tonight, I feel like we're a threat to win it.""

Wisconsin looks for late push to 10-win season

COLIN FLY — Mon, 2 Nov 2009 18:04:00 +0000

MILWAUKEE(AP) No. 24 Wisconsin cracked the Top 25 this week and has a remaining schedule that sets up nicely for a strong push to the finish. The Badgers (6-2, 3-2 Big Ten) won four of their first five games by eight points or less and were the only FBS team to be undefeated and unranked a month ago. Losses to Ohio State and Iowa followed and took the luster off the fast start, but Wisconsin routed Purdue 37-0 on Saturday and now could be favored in every game it has left, even though three are on the road. "I think a large reason that we moved up so quickly was because it was a 37-0 win,'' coach Bret Bielema said Monday at his weekly news conference from Madison. "If it was still 37-24, I would think it was a pretty impressive win.'' All four of Wisconsin's remaining opponents are hovering around .500 and have losing records in conference play. The Badgers play at Indiana (4-5, 1-4) on Saturday, home against Michigan (5-4, 1-4) on Nov. 14 and at Northwestern (5-4, 2-3) on Nov. 21. Wisconsin finishes its season Dec. 5 at Hawaii (2-6) before a bowl game. Bielema said the effort against the Boilermakers was the team's best to date. "I don't have a crystal ball at home. I don't have special powers to predict anything, but I knew what I saw and what I believed could happen,'' Bielema said. "All I needed to do was have them go out and do that. Hopefully, that will continue forward.'' Bielema's first team in 2006 set a school record with 12 victories. Those Badgers only lost once, but were shut out of the BCS bowl picture because Ohio State and Michigan only lost once combined. The past two years, Wisconsin regressed with a 16-10 record. But if the Badgers finish this season with a flourish - and 11 wins - it could propel them into next season when they'll return starter but tight end Garrett Graham on offense and seven more on defense. "There's a constant struggle between a number of us (in the Big Ten) to jockey for that team that every so often can make a special run,'' Bielema said. While it seems like it's Iowa's turn this year, Bielema says they revolve on the same factors. "If you stay healthy, you've got some great leadership, and you have a couple key difference makers on offense, defense; good things happen,'' Bielema said. "You've got to have the ball bounce the right way.'' If it does for the Badgers for the rest of this season, Wisconsin will reach double-digits in wins for just the sixth time in program history. "You believe a little bit in the theory of once they taste (success) a certain number of times, they want to keep going back for it,'' Bielema said. "Hopefully, they'll be able to do that.''

Wisconsin-Indiana preview

Wed, 4 Nov 2009 13:23:00 +0000

Ranked for the first time this season, Wisconsin appears to have a good chance to stay there thanks to a favorable remaining schedule. The No. 24 Badgers visit struggling Indiana on Saturday, looking to win their fifth straight meeting in the series. Coming off a bye week, Wisconsin (6-2, 3-2 Big Ten) avoided a three-game losing streak with a 37-0 home victory over Purdue last Saturday. The Badgers had given up 51 points in losses to Ohio State and Iowa, but they held the Boilermakers to 141 yards of total offense for their first shutout since a 14-0 victory over San Diego State in 2006. Wisconsin had early leads against the Buckeyes and Hawkeyes, but couldn't hold on to them. This time, they had little trouble maintaining their lead, giving up just eight first downs. "Especially what they've done the last couple of weeks, we were able to close out a game, something we haven't been able to do," coach Bret Bielema said. "We have really been gaining some momentum offensively." Despite a sore ankle, John Clay rushed for 123 yards and three touchdowns in the victory after being held to 134 yards and no scores in the previous two games. The 247-pound sophomore leads the conference with 104.9 rushing yards per game. The Badgers are averaging 35.3 points and 225.3 rushing yards in their wins, versus 11.5 points and 102.5 rushing yards in their losses. "It was very important to establish the running game," Clay said. "Once we started rolling, our offense is very hard to stop. We were trying to finish out the whole game, not just the first half, but also the second half." Clay and the Badgers will try to keep up the momentum against the Hoosiers (4-5, 1-4), who they've beaten four straight times. They've outscored Indiana 140-40 in the last three meetings, including a 55-20 road win last Nov. 8. With an extremely favorable remaining schedule, Bielema believes the Badgers' first 10-win regular season since 2006 is possible. After visiting Indiana, Wisconsin plays Michigan and Northwestern - who are a combined 3-7 in the Big Ten - then visit Hawaii, which is 0-5 in Western Athletic Conference play, December 5. "I know we didn't play well in the second half of Ohio State and Iowa. Quite frankly, that really is disturbing to me and I'll never get that out of my system, but we can't let those two teams come up again in the future in these next three weeks that are in front of us in the Big Ten schedule that remains," Bielema said. "We'll just focus on Indiana." The Hoosiers are looking to avoid a third straight defeat overall. After losing on a late field goal to Northwestern, the Hoosiers blew a 14-point lead against Iowa last Saturday, and gave up 28 points in the fourth quarter of a 42-24 defeat. "We got into the fourth quarter again and we couldn't fight it off," said coach Bill Lynch, whose team had led the Wildcats by 25 points the previous week. "We just didn't have enough plays in our arsenal to hang with them." The Hawkeyes finished with 480 yards of offense and had touchdown drives of 92, 66, 55 and 66 yards in the fourth quarter. Indiana, which has dropped five of six, is giving up more than 400 total yards per game in 2009. The Hoosiers will be without their biggest special-teams threat Saturday after announcing senior cornerback Ray Fisher, who is fourth in the nation in kickoff returns, will need surgery after injuring his knee against Iowa.

UW's Brinkley turning the corner

Jeff Potrykus — Wed, 4 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Madison - Kerry Cooks knew long before he reviewed the video Sunday that he was going to enjoy the show. The University of Wisconsin's fourth-year secondary coach got a three-hour sneak-preview Saturday when his unit gave a solid performance for four quarters in UW's 37-0 victory over Purdue. UW benefited from at least six drops by Purdue receivers but the secondary didn't allow any big plays - the longest pass completion was 16 yards on a bubble screen - and came up with an interception that led to a touchdown. The most noteworthy development was the play of junior cornerback Niles Brinkley, who returned to the starting lineup for the first time since the Champs Sports Bowl last season. Brinkley, the most physically gifted of UW's cornerbacks, displayed the consistency the staff has been looking for all along. His play, and the overall play of the secondary, bodes well for the Badgers (6-2, 3-2 Big Ten Conference) as they prepare to face Indiana (4-5, 1-4) because the Hoosiers pass the ball more effectively than they run it. "That is the biggest thing with Niles, consistency, and I keep saying it," said Cooks, who used the bye week to re-evaluate the cornerback depth and rotation he had been using. "But you can see when he plays, if you have a keen eye for defensive backs, you can see his tools and what he's able to do. "He was on. The thing I need to get him to understand is that you play how you practice. He had a good week of practice and he had a good game. If he can take that and bottle it up and go week to week with that, he's got a chance to be pretty dang good." Brinkley, who started seven games last season and led the team in interceptions with four, was paired with sophomore Devin Smith for the first time. Smith and Brinkley said after the game the communication in the back end was seamless, which Cooks reiterated Sunday. "You could see how they were communicating and talking, (anticipating) this is what's coming," Cooks said. "You could see the defensive backs talking to each other and also to the linebackers." Smith and Brinkley recorded four tackles apiece and generally provided tight coverage. Smith had an interception to give the offense the ball at the Purdue 20, which led to UW's second touchdown. Brinkley wasn't told until late in the week he was replacing sophomore Antonio Fenelus in the starting lineup. "My reaction was just (to) keep working on my fundamentals," he said. "Stay focused on what I'm doing. Don't slack off." It is somewhat ironic that Cooks settled on Brinkley and Smith as the starting cornerbacks. Brinkley had an opportunity to secure a place in the starting lineup in the spring and again in preseason camp but his uneven play caused Cooks to drop him to the second unit. Last spring, Fenelus was given the first chance to unseat Brinkley and struggled. His problem at the time was allowing receivers to beat him deep. Smith then was given an opportunity and capitalized. Though not as physically gifted as Brinkley, Smith's studious nature and attention to detail allowed him to take one of the starting spots. He held onto it in camp and has started every game this season. "With the secondary it is a different level of consistency," Brinkley said when asked about his up and down play. "The front seven might be able to miss a tackle. The DBs miss a tackle and it might be a touchdown. DBs get beat deep and it might be a touchdown. "You have to be on every play." Smith has been the most consistent of the cornerbacks. Fenelus surrendered a crucial touchdown pass in the loss to Ohio State and remains too inconsistent, though he has improved since the opener. Sophomore Aaron Henry, who started UW's first two games, eventually lost the job because of tentative play. Copyright 2009, Journal Sentinel Inc. All rights reserved. (Note: This notice does not apply to those news items already copyrighted and received through wire services or other media.) Copyright 2009 Journal Sentinel Inc.

Clay, Wisconsin run through Purdue 37-0

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 11:20:00 +0000

MADISON, Wis. -- John Clay ran for 123 yards and three touchdowns and Wisconsin shut out a Big Ten opponent for the first time since 1999 to snap a two-game losing streak with a 37-0 victory over Purdue on Saturday. Freshman David Gilbert added a leaping blocked punt that was returned for a touchdown, putting an emphatic exclamation point on a dominant first half in the win that made the Badgers bowl-eligible for the eighth consecutive year. Wisconsin (6-2, 3-2 Big Ten) and Purdue (3-6, 2-3) came in heading in opposite directions after the Boilermakers had beaten Ohio State and Illinois. Instead it was Purdue's worst shutout loss since a 48-0 defeat at Notre Dame in 1992 and worst Big Ten shutout since 1991, when the Boilermakers lost 42-0 at Michigan. Purdue gained 141 yards on offense for the game, nine fewer than Wisconsin rolled up in a 150-yard first quarter. That's because the 248-pound Clay, who leads the Big Ten in rushing and rushing TDs, flattened the Boilermakers early and helped Wisconsin restore confidence after losses to Ohio State and Iowa followed by a week off. Quarterback Joey Elliott had the worst start of his career, going 5 of 23 for 59 yards and an interception before being replaced late in the third quarter. Elliott's receivers didn't help him either, dropping six passes. Wisconsin has now won 23 straight home games against unranked opponents. The Badgers rushed for 266 yards and started with 11 straight runs in an 80-yard TD drive on their first possession. Clay, who has been working through a sore ankle, capped the drive with a 1-yard dive to make it 7-0. After the first of three field goals by Philip Welch made it 10-0, Wisconsin scored twice in a span of 31 seconds in the second quarter to put it out of reach. Elliott made an ill-advised throw from his goal line midway through the second quarter that Wisconsin cornerback Devin Smith picked off at the Purdue 20. Four plays later, Clay scored from the 1 to make it 17-0. Purdue was forced to punt on its ensuing possession, but Gilbert leaped over 6-foot-3 defensive tackle Adam Brockman and 6-foot-6 offensive tackle Peters Drey to get his hands on Chris Summers' punt. Aaron Henry returned the block 9 yards for a TD to make it 24-0. Clay, who finished with 24 carries, made it 31-0 on the first possession of the second half when he ran for 3 yards, fumbled at the goal line and recovered it in the end zone. Elliott had appeared to turn a corner with his performances against the Buckeyes and the Illini but was on the bench in favor of Caleb TerBush late in the third quarter. Purdue's quarterbacks finished 9 of 33 for 81 yards. The last time the Badgers were this dominant was a 59-0 rout of Indiana 10 years ago when the Badgers rolled up 461 yards rushing behind Ron Dayne and Michael Bennett.

Badgers next foe facing tough times in Hoosierland

Jeff Potrykus — Wed, 4 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

BIG TEN TELECONFERENCE AUDIO Madison - These are trying and turbulent times for the Indiana football program. Consider: * On Oct. 24, the Hoosiers blew a 28-3 lead en route to a 29-28 Big Ten Conference loss at Northwestern. That dropped the Hoosiers' record to 1-3 in the Big Ten and 4-4 overall. * Four days later, head coach Bill Lynch received a vote of confidence from Indiana athletic director Fred Glass. Glass insisted he plans to honor the final two years of Lynch's contract, which runs through the 2011 season. "I think contracts need to mean something at Indiana again," Glass told reporters. "But beyond the pure letter of what we agreed on, I think coach Lynch has done a good job and will continue to be successful at Indiana beyond the length of his current contract. "Sports Illustrated picked us to win two games . . . Last year we got shellacked by Purdue in one of the worst Bucket games ever. This year, you can see the improvement." * Then on Saturday, the Hoosiers blew leads of 21-7 and 24-14 before falling at Iowa, 42-24. As the Hoosiers (1-4, 4-5) prepare to host the University of Wisconsin (6-2, 3-2) at 11 a.m. Saturday, they must discover how to cope with the back-to-back crushing losses and learn how to hold onto leads. "We got into the fourth quarter again and we couldn't fight it off," Lynch said after the loss to Iowa. "We just didn't have enough plays in our arsenal to hang with them." That sentiment could summarize the Hoosiers' overall plight. Lynch inherited the program from Terry Hoeppner, who died from complications from brain cancer before the 2007 season. The Hoosiers finished 7-6 that season - a record that included a 33-3 loss to UW - and secured a bowl berth for the first time since the 1993 season. A 49-33 loss to Oklahoma State in the Insight Bowl marred what had been a memorable run. Rather than building on that 7-6 finish, the Hoosiers fell to 3-9 last season and were a bad team across the board. Two of the three victories came against Football Championship Subdivision teams (Western Kentucky and Murray State) and the Hoosiers allowed 40 or more points six times, including a 55-20 home loss to UW. The Hoosiers won their first three games this season- against Eastern Kentucky, Western Michigan and Akron - but have lost five of their last six. That run started with a bitter 36-33 loss at Michigan and included an embarrassing 44-7 loss at Virginia. Virginia (3-5, 2-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) has losses to William & Mary and Southern Mississippi on its resume. "It's been an up and down year," Glass told reporters. "I think early in the year they improved game to game. The Virginia game was not good, and the question became whether that was indicative of where the program was going. We found out against Illinois that it wasn't, because the team had its best performance of the year." Yes, the Hoosiers did end a three-game losing streak with a 24-14 victory over Illinois. But the Illini (2-6, 1-5) hadn't beaten a Bowl Championship Subdivision team until they crushed lowly Michigan on Saturday. The ugly loss to Northwestern followed. "The Northwestern game was on of those crazy games that we have all been a part of where there are so many plays," Lynch said. "We played hard." No one has questioned the effort of the Indiana players, just the results. Lynch, 14-20 as Indiana's coach, believes that Glass' vote of confidence is only one of the factors that will aid the program over the next few seasons. "I am excited, because I think we got a great future here," he said after a recent practice. "I've really enjoyed working with Fred and his staff over these last so many months. I really do appreciate the support. We got some really good things going and (are) looking forward to the future." Copyright 2009, Journal Sentinel Inc. All rights reserved. (Note: This notice does not apply to those news items already copyrighted and received through wire services or other media.) Copyright 2009 Journal Sentinel Inc.

Jacobsen's late goal gives UW win over NU

Mon, 2 Nov 2009 23:29:00 +0000

MADISON, Wis. – Erin Jacobsen waited until the last minute, but her late goal sealed a 2-1 victory for the Wisconsin women's soccer team Monday as the Badgers topped Northwestern at Lakeside Field to clinch third place in the Big Ten Conference. The win, which helped Wisconsin avoid going to overtime for the ninth time, allowed the Badgers to conclude their regular season on a seven-game unbeaten streak, thanks to Jacobsen's 89th-minute score. After battling for 66 scoreless minutes, Jacobsen turned and connected on a right-footed shot from 30 yards out to improve the Badgers' record to 9-5-5 (5-1-4 Big Ten). The Wildcats dropped to 6-10-2 (3-5-1 Big Ten). ""I thought Northwestern did a great job,"" said head coach Paula Wilkins. ""The game could have gone either way; Northwestern played us hard all over the field. Our players keep finding ways to win games. This young group keeps figuring it out and I continue to be impressed with what they can do."" Paige Adams tallied her third goal of the season to put the Badgers on the board first. In the 14th minute, Laurie Nosbusch played the ball into the right side of the box and Adams beat Northwestern keeper Carolyn Edwards to the lower left to give the Badgers the 1-0 lead. Northwestern responded less than 10 minutes later on a goal by Alicia Herczeg in the 23rd minute of play. Caroline Dagley fed the ball to Herczeg, who put it past a diving Michele Dalton in the UW goal. The first half played out evenly. Northwestern had five shots to Wisconsin's four, with each keeper picking up one save. After going the first half without a corner kick, the Badgers had five corners in the second half. Dalton finished the outing with three saves and Edwards finished with two. The physical match saw 21 fouls called, along with four yellow cards. The Badgers finished with nine shots to the Wildcats' eight. The Badgers' third-place finish in the Big Ten marks the program's best finish since the 2000 season, when UW took second place in conference. The Badgers will now play the waiting game until Monday, Nov. 9, when selections for the NCAA tournament are announced live on ESPNews, starting at 7 p.m.

Nothing new: UW men claim 11th straight crown

Sun, 1 Nov 2009 13:29:00 +0000

MADISON, Wis. -- Winning never gets old. For the 11th-consecutive season, the Wisconsin men's cross country took its rightful place atop the podium as Big Ten Champions. The Badgers extended their own conference record for consecutive championships in dominating fashion, placing five of their runners among the top eight finishers. Wisconsin has now won 43 Big Ten team titles, an incredible 31 more than Michigan State, which owns the next-most championships with 14. The Badgers' recent domination of the Big Ten has resulted 28 team championships in that last 33 years. FINAL RESULTS 1. Wisconsin, 26 2. Ohio State, 91 3. Minnesota, 97 4. Indiana, 106 5. Michigan, 117 6. Iowa, 149 7. Illinois, 166 8. Michigan State, 188 9. Penn State, 232 10. Purdue, 279 The UW posted a team score of 26, the lowest score since 2005 when the Badgers won the title with only 16 points. Ohio State finished in a distant second place with a team score of 91. They were followed by Minnesota with 97 points and Indiana with 106 points. "There was a lot of pressure on our guys going into the Big Tens," head coach Mick Byrne said Sunday morning from University Park, Pa. "But they responded well and won the conference meet. We're really proud." Sophomore Elliot Krause was the first to cross the finish line for the UW, finishing in second place in a time of 25:05, earning first team All-Big Ten honors in the process. This race marks the first time that Krause was the top finisher for the Badgers. Last season it was teammate Landon Peacock who took the runner-up spot at the Big Ten Championship race. For the second-straight year, Minnesota's Hassan Mead took the individual title. Redshirt freshman Maverick Darling was the next Badger runner to cross the line Sunday, claiming a fourth-place finish in a time of 25:16, also earning first team All-Big Ten Honors. Darling has now finished among the top seven in all three races he has run in the 2009 season. True freshman Mohammed Ahmed finished in fifth place in a time of 25:21, earning first team All-Big Ten honors. Ahmed was the first freshman to cross the finish line, adding Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors to his resume. Ahmed is the seventh Big Ten Freshman of the Year in UW history and the first since Brandon Bethke claimed the award in 2006. Wisconsin senior Craig Miller finished in 7th place with a time of 25:29, earning his first career first-team All-Big Ten honor. That gave UW four runners on the Big Ten's first team, the most since placing four on the first team in 2006. Last year, Miller finished in 14th place in a time of 25:01 and earned a second-team All-Big Ten bid. A 2008 first-team all-Big Ten selection, Peacock rounded out the scoring for Wisconsin, earning second-team All-Big Ten honors with his eighth-place finish in a time of 25:34. Senior Ryan Gasper finished in 12th place in a time of 25:41, earning his first second-team All-Big Ten bid. At the 2008 Big Ten Championships, Gasper just missed the podium by finishing in 16th place in a time of 25:06. Junior Jack Bolas finished in 16th place in a time of 25:50, true freshman Reed Connor finished in 32nd place in a time of 26.16 and sophomore Phil Thomas finished in 33rd place in a time of 26:18. "The guys were packed real well," explained Byrne. "It was a great team race. The guys fed off each other and it led to a great race." The Badgers will now enjoy a weekend off before competing in the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championship hosted by Indiana on Nov. 14. The 8k race is set to start at 11 a.m. (central). "This is the time of year we train for and love," Byrne added. "We're looking forward to Regionals and the NCAA championships."

UW sweeps New Hampshire with 6-1 victory

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 22:31:00 +0000

MADISON, Wis. -- The Wisconsin men's hockey team (3-2-1, 1-2-1 WCHA) swept New Hampshire (2-4-1, 2-0-0 Hockey East) Saturday with a 6-1 victory for a Happy Halloween at the Kohl Center. The Badgers pushed the energy level in the first period, but did not have anything to show for it until 2:54 into the second period when sophomore Jordy Murray (Faribault, Minn.) tipped in a shot near the left circle from junior Ryan McDonagh (Arden Hills, Minn.). Wisconsin scored two more goals in the second period to gain a three-goal lead. Senior Ben Grotting (Birmingham, Ala.) scored on a centering pass from junior Sean Dolan (St. Louis) at 15:25. Junior Brendan Smith (Mimico, Ontario) also received an assist on the goal. Murray notched his second goal of the evening and his third goal of the season at 14:06, intercepting the puck at the blue line and scoring top shelf, glove-side, against New Hampshire's Brian Foster. The Badgers scored two more goals before New Hampshire ever found the net in the third period. Freshman John Ramage (St. Louis) found the net off a slap shot which tipped in off the goalkeeper's glove at 12:42. Smith and senior captain Blake Geoffrion (Brentwood, Tenn.) received the assists on the play. With 7:04 left in the third period, senior Aaron Bendickson's (Thief River Falls, Minn.) shot on net bounced off new UNH goaltender Matt DiGirolamo and Dolan put in the rebound for UW's fifth goal. Smith received a third assist on the goal. The Wildcats were able to muster up a goal with 4:53 left in the third period. Steve Moses scored on a rebound from Mike Borisenok to prevent the shutout. Greg Burke also notched an assist on the play. Senior Michael Davies (St. Louis) capped off the scoring with 1:39 left in the game, scoring off a fake from a centering pass from Murray and a second assist from Ramage. Wisconsin went 1-for-2 on the power play and tallied 45 shots, while the Wildcats went 0-for-5 on the power play and totaled 22 shots. Junior goaltender Scott Gudmandson (Sherwood Park, Alberta) made 21 saves in the win. Foster stopped 30 shots for the Wildcats, while DiGirolamo had nine of his own. The Badgers return to action next weekend as they host Border Battle rival, Minnesota.

Abron lifts Michigan State to sweep of Wisconsin

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 21:03:00 +0000

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Looking to extend its four-match win streak on Halloween, the Michigan State volleyball team (16-8, 4-8) downed the Wisconsin Badgers, 3-0 (25-19, 25-22, 25-20), on Saturday. With the win, the Spartans have posted back-to-back wins over the Badgers on Halloween. Sophomore Kyndra Abron (Livonia, Mich.) led all Spartans with 14 kills and hit .583. In the first set, MSU ran out to the early 7-4 lead over the Badgers. Wisconsin however took the next three of four points, pulling within one, 8-7. The Spartans regained momentum, leading 17-13. The second Badger timeout was called as MSU led 20-16. Michigan State closed out the set, winning 25-19. Abron led the Spartans with five kills in the set. Michigan State once again got out early in the second set, posting a 4-1 advantage. The Spartans maintained the advantage with a four-point lead, 8-4. Wisconsin brought the set within two, 10-8, as it scored four of six points. The first Badger timeout of the set came when MSU was leading 18-13. Following the break in action, Wisconsin took the next four of five points, bringing it to a 19-17. However, Michigan State took the second set, 25-22. Abron once again led the team with four kills in the set. The Spartans got out to an early 3-1 advantage in the third set. Michigan State kept the lead, pushing it to 7-2, forcing Wisconsin to call its first timeout. The Badgers rallied to come within three points of the Spartans, 11-8. However, Michigan State once again pulled ahead, 14-8, causing Wisconsin to use its second timeout. Following the timeout, the Badgers took six of the next eight points, making it a 16-13 match. The Spartans ended the set and match, by winning 25-20. Abron and sophomore Becca Zlabis (Wheaton, Ill.) posted identical third set stat lines with five kills each and posting a .556 clip. Posting 12 kills on the night was Zlabis, who added eight digs to the Spartan victory. Sophomore Natalie Emro (Wildwood, Mo.) led the team with 40 assists, while junior Allyson Karaba (Muskegon, Mich.) anchored the backcourt with 14 digs. Senior Vanessa King (Spring Lake, Mich.) and Abron each tallied four blocks in the win. Junior Megan Schatzle (Monroe, Mich.) tallied two service aces on the night. Tonight's match against Wisconsin can be seen on tape delay, Sunday, Nov. 1, at 4:30 a.m. on the Big Ten Network. The Spartans are back in action next weekend on Friday, Nov. 6, when they travel to Northwestern for a 8 p.m. ET match. The match against the Wildcats will be streamed live on the BigTenNetwork.com.

Penn St. beats UW, takes over first place

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 18:07:00 +0000

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's soccer (10-5-2, 3-1-1 Big Ten) maintained control of its own destiny in the race for the conference title and at the same time moved into sole possession of first place in the Big Ten with a 2-1 victory over Wisconsin (6-8-2, 3-3-0) on Saturday afternoon at Jeffrey Field. With the win, the Nittany Lions complete their first undefeated season at home (7-0-2) since 2001 when they went 7-0. Penn State, which tops the Big Ten with 10 points, can uphold that position with a Northwestern loss to Michigan on Sunday. The Nittany Lions and Wildcats entered the day tied for second with seven points, two behind Wisconsin. With a win over Indiana next weekend in Bloomington, Penn State can secure at least a share of its first regular season Big Ten championship since 2005. Junior midfielder Matheus Braga (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) got Penn State on the scoreboard with his sixth goal of the season, converting on a penalty kick opportunity, the Nittany Lions' fourth of the year. Sophomore Corey Hertzog (Reading, Pa.) netted the game winner, his fifth of the season and his eighth goal overall. Senior forward Jason Yeisley (Allentown, Pa.) earned his fifth assist of the year on the play. Hertzog and Yeisley are tied for the team lead in goals, assists, and points. Penn State started the game on a shaky note, struggling to gain possession while dealing with constant Wisconsin pressure. But the tide turned at the midpoint of the half and the Nittany Lions began to gain scoring opportunities. In the 28th minute, Frank Costigliola lobbed a pass from just inside the box deep into the UW zone, where Corey Hertzog was got free of the Wisconsin defense. However, his diving stab at a header shot just missed. Penn State thought it had another chance when Hertzog was taken down hard inside the box but no penalty kick was awarded. Sophomore midfielder Mackenzie Arment (Manheim, Pa.) nearly gave PSU the lead in the 31st minute, when after checking into the game just three minutes earlier, ripped a shot from 20 yards out that went just wide of an open goal. The Nittany Lions' aggressive attacking style finally paid dividends in the waning moments of the first half. Deep inside the box, Jason Yeisley was attempting to jump and get a head on the ball but was shoved in the back by UW defender Aaron Nichols, drawing the foul and the resulting penalty kick. Braga drew the shooting assignment and put it easily past Wisconsin keeper Alex Horwath with just 18 seconds remaining in the half. Penn State again weathered a Wisconsin storm early in the second half to strike back with solid runs and viable scoring chances of its own. In the 57th minute, Frank Costigliola played a beautiful ball from the left wing near midfield to Mackenzie Arment deep on the right wing. Arment centered the pass to Jason Yeisley but his shot went just high of net. One minute later, a rocket off the foot of sophomore defender Justin Lee (Derwood, Md.) was on target but saved by the Wisconsin goalkeeper. Lee was central to another scoring opportunity in the 63rd minute when his pass into the box was nearly headed in by fellow sophomore defender Mark Fetrow (West Chester, Pa.), sailing just high. Arment hooked up with junior forward Treavor Gelsinger (Shady Grove, Pa.) for another chance soon thereafter. Arment found Gelsinger just inside the box with pass. Gelsinger held the ball up with his back to the goal, turned suddenly, and got off a blistering shot that was corralled by the UW keeper. Penn State's pressure again bore fruit in the 78th minute when Jason Yeisley and Corey Hertzog teamed for a goal for the fifth time this season. Hertzog hit Yeisley with a pass, who then pushed it back to Hertzog, who was speeding down the left wing. He broke left to gain a shooting angle and put a left-footed shot past the Wisconsin defender and keeper and into net far post from 14 yards away. Wisconsin cut the PSU lead in half three minutes later when Scott Lorenz found Jon Rzepka open on the far post off a free kick on the right wing. He put it in high for his second goal of the season. But the Penn State defense would hold in the final minutes, giving the Nittany Lions the crucial win. The tape delayed game will be re-aired on the Big Ten Network tomorrow, Sun., Nov. 1, at 4 p.m. With two wins this season, including its 1-0 triumph over Michigan State on Oct. 4, Penn State is 3-3 all-time in games broadcast on the BTN. Seniors Diego Correa (Niteroi, Brazil), Frank Costigliola, Vincent Salvatico (Chester Springs, Pa.), Jacobo Vera (Pamplona, Spain), and Jason Yeisley (Allentown, Pa.) played their final regular season game at Jeffrey Field on Saturday. The group was honored for their contributions to the program in a special pre-game Senior Day ceremony. The Nittany Lions will conclude regular season play on Fri., Nov. 6 when it visits Bloomington, Ind. and Bill Armstrong Stadium for a 3 p.m. match-up with archrival Indiana (8-7-1, 2-2-0 Big Ten). Penn State has taken four of its last six meetings with IU, including last season's 1-0 upset win over the 17th-ranked Hoosiers at Jeffrey Field. The postseason will kickoff the following weekend when the Lions return to Bloomington to begin pursuit of their fourth conference crown at the 2009 Big Ten Championship. To be hosted by Indiana University, the tournament is scheduled for Nov. 12-15.

Badgers top New Hampshire, tally first home victory

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 11:05:00 +0000

MADISON, Wis. -- Sophomore forward Derek Stepan scored two goals to lead Wisconsin to a 4-1 victory over New Hampshire at the Kohl Center on Friday. In front of a crowd of 11,490 fans, the first period ended scoreless, and proved to be a defensive battle. Junior goaltender Brett Bennett (Williamsville, N.Y.) found himself back in the net for the Badgers. Though the score was even, the Badgers dominated UNH, as they outshot the Wildcats 18-5. The Badgers finally got one of their shots to go in early in the second period, when true freshman defenseman John Ramage (St. Louis) cashed in his first goal of the season with 14:17 left in the second. The assist was credited to senior center Aaron Bendickson (Thief River Falls, Minn.). Ramage received the pass just inside the blue line, and, from there, he fired a shot past the Wildcat goaltender. This was also Ramage's first goal as a Badger. The Badgers did not wait long to add another goal. Some strategic, close-goal passing among junior defenseman Cody Goloubef (Oakville, Ontario), senior tri-captain forward Ben Street (Coquitlam, B.C.), and senior forward John Mitchell (Neenah, Wis.) allowed the Badgers to score. An initial pass from Goloubef to Mitchell started the process. Mitchell sent the puck through the slot to Street, who tapped it back to his linemate right in front of the net. Mitchell was then able to flick it past the Wildcat goalie. The goal came with 7:13 remaining in the period. UNH got on the board less than two minutes later, as senior forward Peter LeBlanc scored a unassisted, breakaway goal. The short-handed tally brought the Wildcats within one, as the score read 2-1 heading into the final period. In the third, UW added to its lead. In a crowd of players in front of the New Hampshire goal, sophomore forward Derek Stepan (Hastings, Minn.) managed to have the puck bounce off of his arm and trickle past the Wildcat goalie with 14:38 remaining in the period. Sophomore Jake Gardiner (Minnetonka, Minn.) took the initial shot, while junior tri-captain defenseman Ryan McDonagh (Arden Hills, Minn.) contributed the secondary assist. With 9:15 remaining in the final period, Stepan scored again and cemented the Badgers' victory by scoring on a shot from just inside UNH's blue line. Stepan fired a waist-level shot, and it sped past the Wildcat goalie. The assist was credited to junior defenseman Brendan Smith (Mimico, Ontario). The score was now 4-1, in favor of the Badgers. The final score read just that, with the Badgers also dominating 51-13 in shots on goal. Bennett stopped 12 Wildcat shots, moving his record to 2-1-0 on the season. Wildcat goaltender Brian Foster stopped 47 Badger shots, as his record falls to 2-3-1 on the year. The Badgers (2-2-1, 1-2-1 WCHA) take the ice again tomorrow night, in hopes of sweeping UNH. The puck is scheduled to drop at 7 p.m. With it being Halloween in Madison, the Badgers hope to scare the Wildcats back to New Hampshire. The game airs live on WISC-TV in the Madison, Wis., area, while also airing on Charter Extra Channel 87 and Time Warner Cable outside the Madison area. A tape-delayed broadcast will be shown at 10 p.m. following the game and at 6 p.m. on Sunday on The Wisconsin Channel. A stream of the tape-delayed telecast will be shown at The Wisconsin Channel Web site. WIBA-AM 1310 will carry the contest on the radio. Live stats and a for pay live audio stream are available at UWBadgers.com.